march

March is the third month of the year. It follows February and is followed by April. It has 31 days.

March is notable because it is one of the two times a year when an equinox occurs. Around March 20–21, the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal equinox marks the beginning of fall in the Southern Hemisphere. (The reverse happens around September 22–23.)

In places where spring begins in March, the proverb March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb is used to refer to the fact that the month often begins with harsh winter weather that eventually gives way to mild spring weather.

In the U.S., March also includes the day on which people in many places adjust their clocks for daylight-saving time by setting them an hour later.

March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day. In the U.S., St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17.

The U.S. college basketball tournament known as March Madness starts in March.

The word march is also a common word meaning “to walk in a military formation” or “to walk in a purposeful way.” It’s not related to the name of the month.

Example: We had a blizzard last week and now people are walking around in shorts—that’s March weather for you.

The first records of the word March as the name of a month come from before 1050. It comes from the Latin Mārtius mēnsis, meaning “the month of Mars,” referring to the Roman god of war. The months of January and May are also named after Roman deities.

The ancient Roman calendar originally began with the month we call March—March 1 was the first day of the year. Eventually, two additional months—what we now call January and February—were added so that the months would fall during the same seasons each year.

In ancient Rome, March marked the start of the military campaign season. However, the word march in the sense of walking in a military formation or in some other purposeful way is not actually related to the name of the month. The word march in the walking sense comes from the Old French marchier, “to tread,” possibly from the Frankish markōn, meaning “to mark or pace”—it’s not based on or related to Mars.

In astrology, the sign Pisces applies to those born between February 19 and March 20. The sign Aries applies to those born between March 21 and April 19.

Discover more to the story behind the word March, by reading our article on the name’s fascinating history.

What are some other forms related to March?

• Marches (plural)
• Mar (abbreviation)
• Mar. (abbreviation)

What are some words that share a root or word element with March? 

• March Madness
• March hare
• Mars

What are some words that often get used in discussing March?

• third
• month
• calendar
• spring
• winter
• weather
• spring break
• equinox

In places where spring begins in March, the month is often associated with its wide range of weather. Sports fans in the U.S. know it as the month that March Madness begins.

“The weather in March is a lot like me,” declares Elizabeth in E. L. Konigsburg’s children’s book Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. “Nice for one day and then nasty for two.”

— sparkling plum (@chivofantasma_) July 19, 2020

Guess what….?
IT IS MARCH!

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 1, 2018

March is the best month of the year. March Madness, Spring Break and St. Pattys Day. What more could you ask for?

— Ronald Boyd III (@Brandon_Boyd29) March 1, 2017

Which mythological figure is March named after?

A. Mercury
B. Mars
C. Maia
D. Madne